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👉 Want to actually build this, not just watch it?
The guide: https://medieval-wisdom.com
Westacott Barton in Devon preserves a rubble base, cob walls, a thatched roof and a cruck timber structure. This video uses those documented features to compare traditional construction with a defined modern reference: the 2025 Residential Code of New York State, outside New York City.
The comparison is not a list of twelve universal bans. Requirements depend on the location, structural configuration, materials and approval route. A restriction on rubble construction in a particular seismic configuration is not a blanket ban on every stone wall; alternative materials may require evidence and approval.
Sources and further reading:
Historic England, Westacott Barton research report: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/57-2011
New York State, 2025 Residential Code: https://dos.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2025/07/2025rcnys_noa_2025-07-24_compressed.pdf
This is an educational comparison, not engineering, legal or permit advice. Which material deserves a closer comparison in your area: rubble, cob or thatch?
